


Nekotape Backstory: Caramel, Tea and Honey

by Theriphas



Category: Nekotape Characters
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-01-25 13:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18575266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theriphas/pseuds/Theriphas
Summary: NOT COMPLETE - A short story detailing the backgrounds of Caramel, Tea and Honey. Characters of Arashi Shiori (Caramel), Yami Shiori (Tea) and Luna Shiori (Honey) belong to Instagram user Nekotape, whose permission I have to write these stories. These characters are her creation, do not use them for anything without the express permission of Nekotape.





	1. An Unchanging World

"WHAT?!?"

The sound of clanging resounded through the room as various knick knacks toppled to the floor, scattered by the fists now clenched in disgust on the desk. A gruff, middle-aged man stood sneering down at the desk, his anger boiled over to the point he couldn't sit down. The woman on the other side of the desk, a taller blonde beauty, stood paralyzed by the action, unsure of how to respond to such sudden rage. When the man did not receive a quick answer, he looked up at the woman, who was frozen in fear by his gaze. A look of panic crossed her face when his deep voice growled out his next question.

"Are you telling the truth?"

The young woman, Valerie Dresmond, nodded vigorously before steeling herself enough to speak.

"Of course I am! I wouldn't come here just to lie... What would I gain from lying?"

The man, Reginald Caldrus, let out a deep breath before seating himself again. He brushed his slightly graying hair out of his eyes and smirked at Valeries' comment. He could not get himself to laugh at a time like this, however were things different he surely would have chuckled.

"You're a private reporter, are you not, Miss Dresmond? Your job is strategic lying."

He paused and stared at the girl, emphasizing his point and making her squirm under his gaze.

"That's exactly what we must use to put an end to this before it begins. That... thing, is a abhorrent representation of men. I will not allow that pathetic person to be rewarded for such feminine actions. It would validate the idea that such behavior is permissible for a man, and that is strictly not the case."

Valarie nodded again, a smile creeping onto her face as she wrote in her notepad. As bad as it was, this is what she lived for, what she loved about her job. It didn't matter what was true or what was not, when she published something, suddenly what she said became the truth of many. It gave her such a rush of power, controlling the opinions of the hapless masses with the stroke of her pen.

"Of course, Mr. Caldrus, I understand. What truth shall I create then?"

Mr. Caldrus leaned back in his chair, taking a moment to ponder the question.

"Target Shioris' validity as a designer. Make them question his creative potential. If there is any doubt that the design was not an original, they will not select it for an award. There's far too much risk for the committee in doing so, and that is who we need to convince. They care more for their reputation than they do for getting things right, and you will exploit that."

Valerie wrote in her notepad once again, pausing as she looked up at Mr. Caldrus, CEO of Future Life, the most prominent medical research facility on the continent. She didn't know why this man cared so much about what happened in the world of fashion, or why he intended on impeding someone like Arashi Shiori from succeeding. As strange and feminine as Arashi was, he had always had a good eye for creating incredible lines of clothing. Unfortunately for Arashi, getting on the good side of one of the most influential men on the continent was far too important to her career for Valerie to pass up.

"I will make sure to release the article so close to the ceremony that they will not be able to properly research the claim in time. The committee will be forced to give the award to someone else, and Arashi Shioris' reputation as a designer will be forever tarnished. Regardless of what is factual, to the eyes of the public, my words will be truth."

Mr. Caldrus smiled crudely at her response, and Valerie felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Make sure nothing can trace this back to me, Miss Dresmond. I cannot have any more of my time plagued by that abomination."

Valerie nodded once more and bowed slightly in respect of his position.

"Of course, Mr. Caldrus, I will take my leave now. I have a truth to create."


	2. In the Shadow of the Rain

It was raining again... As if the sky itself wept for him. Yami Shiori let the rain cascade upon her, she had no intention of finding shelter from it. It was fitting, after all, that the earth should cry for him in her stead. She had run out of tears days before, when her life was shred to pieces. There were no more tears to cry, no more emotions to give; she was a husk. Yami stared blankly at the grave, wondering how things got here. Why such things could be allowed to happen, why no one cared. She thought back to when everything fell apart...  
___________________________________________________

"In breaking news today, a source who has requested to stay anonymous has accused famed fashion designer Arashi Shiori of stealing the design for Shioris' newest model! The source claims the theft happened at the Jericho Public Library, stating they had gone to the bathroom and left their notepad on the table, not suspecting that anyone would steal at a library. However, the source claims that when they returned, the notepad was missing, and as he looked around, Shiori could be seen hastily leaving the library. Arashi Shiori is heavily speculated to be the favorite to win "Best Fashion Design of the Year" for this new model, which would make him the first male to ever win the prestigious award. However, one has to wonder if this claim will have any impact on the committee's decision. With JLNS Channel 5, I'm Valerie Dresmond, and this has been your breaking news."

A pause filled the room for a few moments before the segment began again.

"In breaking news today, a source who has requested to stay anonymous has accused famed fashion designer Arashi Shiori of stealing the design for Shioris' newest model! The source claims the theft hap..."

The television suddenly turned off, and Arashi, who had been just staring blankly at the screen, turned his gaze slightly to the left. His sister Luna stood next to him, a worried expression on her face. She had seen how he wore pain in his eyes long enough to know how devastated her brother was right now.

"Arashi... You need to stop watching that clip..."

Arashi shook his head slightly, and when he spoke, it was barely a whisper.

"How can I? I poured my soul into that design... Now everyone thinks I stole it..."

Luna spoke up, trying to stay positive for her brother.

"No one thinks you stole it! Everyone knows how talented you are, even if they won't accept it! The source staying anonymous should prove how bogus the claim is anyways... No one would be foolish enough to believe it, it's such a clear attempt to undermine you."

Luna started gently stroking her brothers hair, trying to calm his mind with a gentle touch. When Arashi was quiet and said nothing, Luna continued trying to encourage him.

"There's no way the committee would let such a baseless claim impact their investigation. You even gave rough sketch notes to them that are months old, and clearly in your handwriting."

Luna repositioned to in front of Arashi and wrapped him in a hug. She felt him tightly hug her back, more evidence of just how much this was affecting his mind. Luna kept the embrace, holding her brother for as long as he needed. After several minutes, she felt him release, and she slowly let go and stood back. A smile, forced as it was, began to appear on Arashis' face.

"Thank you Luna..."

Luna beamed back at Arashi, genuinely happy to see him smile, even if it wasn't entirely real.

"You don't need to thank me, Arashi. You're my darling brother, we'll always be together. I'll always be here for you!"  
___________________________________________________

Yami stared at the grave in front of her with empty eyes, the pouring rain expressing what her heart could not.

"Luna... Sister... You did all you could using love. Now it is my turn to use hate."


	3. The Shimmer of Life

The streets of Jericho were as busy as they always were, hundreds of people bussling along packed sidewalks, each trying to get to their destinations as fast as possible. Mixed in with them all, Yami Shiori trudged on, quite out of place amongst such busyness. She was in no hurry to get to her destination, as time was no longer a concern of hers. Days and nights passed in a blur, and Yami truthfully did not remember how many days it had been since that fateful day.

She had spent so much time researching the woman responsible for it all, and because of her diligence she had finally discovered a clue. A local tavern, not particularly famous, but apparently good enough to be the drinking place of a certain Valerie Dresmond. If Yami was going to get a chance at learning more about the woman, she would be able to do so there.

Pulling out her map, Yami looked over it to make sure she was still going the correct direction. Noting to herself that she was, she brought her map back down and looked up once again. A shimmer from a shop window caught her attention, and Yami turned to get a closer look. Her heart skipped a beat as Yami found herself unable to look away from a painfully familiar sight.  
___________________________________________

"Look at that one Arashi!"

Luna excitedly bounced and pointed at a beautiful dress, designed to tightly hug the figure of the wearer. A mix of bright pink and purple, with a dash of silver glitter scattered throughout, it was the definition of what one might call feminine.

"Arashi you have to try this one on!! It would look so good on you!"

Through his somber expression, Arashis' eyes gleamed looking at the dress. He couldn't ignore how nice it looked, and while he did really want to try it on, Arashi couldn't get himself to be excited about much lately. The news report was consistently on his mind, and he couldn't shake fears that people might believe such an obvious lie. Luna suddenly twirled him around and clasped her hands against his face, forcing Arashi to look at her.

"Stop thinking about it, Arashi... That's the whole reason we went out today. You need to get your mind off it, even if only for a moment. I can tell you want to try it on, so do it!"

Arashi smiled, his sister as caring and considerate as always. He laughed lightly and shook his head, or at the least attempted to. Her grip was stronger than even Luna realized, and they both let out a laugh.

"You've got to be careful sister, or you'll end up hurting someone with your affection some day!"

Luna giggled and beamed at Arashi. "Well when that day comes, at least I'll have you and Yami by my side to get me through it!"

Arashi smiled and gave Luna a hug. His next words were a whisper, truly grateful for his sister Luna.

"Of course I will..."

Luna gripped Arashi tightly as they embraced, her smile widening as tears started to form in her eyes. To Luna, nothing was better than this, sharing an emotional moment with one of her siblings. As they seperated, Luna smiled and looked back at the dress.

"Now go try that on before before you get me so emotional that I forget."

Arashi looked back towards the dress with a smile of his own, the stress of the news report out of his mind. Holding the dress in his hands and enjoying the smooth texture of the materials, not even the glaring and disapproving eyes of various men in the store could keep Arashi from enjoying the moment. He was excited to try it on, and even more excited to show Luna how it looked on him.  
_________________________________________

Yami came back to herself, having become lost in memories that her heart treasured. He had looked stunning in that dress, she doubted most women could have even pulled it off like Arashi had. Remembering his smile as he wore it, like nothing could bring him down, was a dagger through her heart. She looked away from the dress and down at the ground, half expecting tears to be crashing down her face and to the sidewalk below. Yami stood still, the dry sidewalk beneath her another reminder of how empty she felt, how hollow she'd become. There was only one thing Yami desired now, one thing that kept her bruised and battered heart beating.

She looked at her map again, the address she had found only 3 blocks ahead. Her eyes found their way back to the dress, and Yami forcibly tore her vision away from the haunting reminder of how bright life once was. She pushed her legs to move, wiling herself forward, towards the building marked with an "X" on her map. She had to keep moving. Justice wouldn't deliver itself.


End file.
